Labour's David Skaith became the inaugural elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire this afternoon, a new position that covers the Prime Minister's Richmond constituency.
Rishi Sunak suffered the indignity of seeing of seeing a Labour mayor win in his own constituency today as the Tories endured a torrid day of local elections that saw the party hemorrhage councils and seats.
Labour gained Adur in West Sussex from the Conservatives this afternoon after scooping eight seats – the first time the party has controlled the council. There was an even more extraordinary turnaround in Nuneaton and Bedworth, where Keir Starmer's party racked up 15 more seats to take control, with the Tories down 14.
But on a victory lap in Northallerton tonight, Sir Keir hailed Mr Skaith's win in 'the heart of Tory territory', with a majority of nearly 15,000 in an area previously considered a Conservative stronghold. Lord houchen - a close ally of Boris Johnson - was the only candidate on stage not wearing a party rosette today
In a particularly alarming sign the Tory candidate barely managed to push Reform into third place, by just 117 votes. Visiting the constituency this morning flanked by Angela Rayner, Keir Starmer said voters wanted to 'turn the page' on the government. READ MORE: What are the key results yet to be announced in local elections? England Local England Mayoral London Assembly London Mayoral Police & Crime Advertisement In a bright spot, the party has managed to hold on to control of Harlow - which local MP Robert Halfon described as 'the biggest comeback since Lazarus'.
'That hasn't happened, and indeed we are still waiting for the results in the Tees Valley mayoralty just near to here which is obviously a very important test as well.' 'Parliamentary colleagues need to look at this and see… and wait through the weekend as well,' he told Sky News. Paul Scully said he did not believe the leader should change, but warned of a 'bunker mentality' in No10.
Standing alongside his new MP in the constituency, the Labour leader said: 'It's a fantastic result, a really first-class result and here in Blackpool a message has been sent directly to the Prime Minister, directly to the Prime Minister, because this was a parliamentary vote. Mr Webb scooped 10,825 votes to secure a 7,607-vote majority. The Tories won 3,218 votes, just 117 votes ahead of third-placed Reform UK.
'This was always going to be difficult election given the specific circumstances related to the previous incumbent. In his victory speech, Mr Webb said: 'People no longer trust the Conservatives. Prime Minister: do the decent thing, admit you've failed and call a general election.' Polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said the Tories could be on course to lose 500 councillors in 'one of the worst, if not the worst' performances by the party in 40 years.
Elections expert Michael Thrasher told Sky News that the swing to Labour in Blackpool was 'more or less off the scale'. Labour has gained police and crime commissioners from the Conservatives in Cumbria and Avon and Somerset. This year Hartlepool gave Labour cause for celebration, with the party winning control of the council for the first time since 2019 thanks to a net gain of seven seats, while the Tories lost six.It was a less cheery picture for Labour in South Tyneside, where the party suffered a net loss of 10 seats.
The party needed to gain six seats to take control of Thurrock, which has been run by the Tories for the past few years during a period of turbulence that saw the council declared effectively bankrupt in December 2022. The council includes Aldershot, known as the home of the British Army, and Labour was keen to highlight that link as proof that the party had changed since Jeremy Corbyn's time as leader.'Rushmoor - the home of the British Army - has never had a majority Labour council before, and has been run by the Tories for the last 24 years.
The Essex council, which had recently moved to no overall control because of defections, is in a strong Brexit-supporting part of the country. 'Keir Starmer pledged to change the Labour Party after that result and today's win shows that this changed Labour Party is ready to deliver the change that communities like Hartlepool are crying out for.'Making gains here shows that the party is on track to win a general election and is firmly back in the service of working people.'
Conservative rebels are poised to pounce on a dismal night for Mr Sunak by mounting a fresh effort to oust the PM from No10 in the coming days.The final result in Sunderland was Labour 18, Liberal Democrats four and Conservatives three, as Sir Keir's party retained control. Cabinet minister Chris Heaton-Harris said the results in Sunderland showed 'if you vote Reform, you get Labour'.
Sir Keir's party were fearing a local elections backlash over the Gaza conflict in some parts of the country. 'It's going to be a long night and the full picture of results from local elections may not be clear until over the weekend, but we expect to see Labour gains that show we're making progress in the places we need to win the next general election.'
News Palestine Downing Street Cost Of Living Crisis Blackpool Keir Starmer Conservatives World War II Sadiq Khan David Cameron England Penny Mordaunt London Jeremy Hunt Angela Rayner Rishi Sunak Tony Blair Crime Liberal Democrats Grant Shapps ULEZ UK Local Elections Labour Sky News Boris Johnson Wales Liz Truss
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
More body blows for Rishi Sunak as Tories lose true-blue councilsLabour's David Skaith became the inaugural elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire this afternoon, a new position that covers the Prime Minister's Richmond constituency.
Read more »
Tories Win Tees Valley Mayor Race In Relief For Rishi SunakNed Simons is politics news editor for HuffPost UK based in London. He can be reached by email at ned.simonshuffpost.com or on Twitter nedsimons.
Read more »
Rishi Sunak is safe even if Tories suffer big local election defeats, cabinet minister saysRishi Sunak will be safe from any leadership challenge following the local election results, a cabinet minister has said, after the Government’s Rwanda scheme starts to take off.
Read more »
Rishi Sunak could face leadership challenge within days of local elections if Tories suffer bloodbath at...Boris is welcome on campaign trail with me… but I STILL don’t know election date, says Rishi
Read more »
Suella Braverman Says Tories Are 'Heading For Defeat' Under Rishi SunakKevin Schofield is Politics Editor of HuffPost UK.
Read more »
Support For The Tories Reaches Record Low In Latest Blow For Rishi SunakNed Simons is politics news editor for HuffPost UK based in London. He can be reached by email at ned.simonshuffpost.com or on Twitter nedsimons.
Read more »